Streams

Morning Headlines | Selected by the WNYC News Hub

Monday, October 15, 2012

Gov. Andrew Cuomo
(Courtesy of Gov. Cuomo's Office)

Must-read headlines from around the city, curated by the WNYC Newsroom.

POLITICSRepublican Candidate Embrace Cuomo’s Appeal (NYT) Thomas Kaplan writes about how Republicans are using their connection to the Democratic governor in their re-election materials: “Mr. Cuomo is pictured warmly on a postcard sent by Senator Patricia A. Ritchie of the North Country, on the Web site of Senator Carl L. Marcellino of Long Island and even in television advertisements for the second-highest-ranking Republican in Albany, Senator Thomas W. Libous of Binghamton. At least a dozen Senate Republicans seeking re-election are trumpeting their bonds with Mr. Cuomo. The Republicans, outnumbered roughly two to one in the state’s electorate, are hoping that promoting their ability to work with the popular Democratic governor will help them hold on to control of the State Senate, which is their last stronghold in New York.”

EDUCATIONSchool Officials, DOE Embroiled in Affirmative Action Fight at PS 133 (DNAinfo) Alan Neuhauser reports: “The plan, which sources said was initially opposed by the DOE, would boost the number of low-income and minority students at P.S. 133 by giving admissions preference to both English Language Learners and free- and reduced-lunch recipients, groups that are predominantly black, Hispanic and Asian. Proponents of the affirmative-action plan argue that P.S. 133, located in north Park Slope, sits in a neighborhood increasingly dominated by white middle- to upper-class residents.”

BUSINESSDrive Seeks to Curb Revelry on LES by Limiting Liquor Licenses (NYT) Colin Mornihan reports on an effort to cut down on the number of liquor licenses in the nightclub-clogged area: “The struggle between the daytime Lower East Side and its nighttime alter ego was evident Friday night...Many behaved with restraint, but there were exceptions, including several people who wavered unsteadily or raised their voices in shouts. One man scuffled with a bouncer in front of Viktor and Spoils before being arrested by the police. Three men vomited at various times, with one raising his hands afterward, in apparent triumph.”

BUSINESSCraft Distillers Ask State to Repeal Prohibition-Era Laws (NJ Spotlight) Tara Nurin reports: “As a one-man operation that will at first produce no more than 2,500 gallons of liquor annually, Yoakum's Cooper River Distillers falls well within the bounds of a "craft distillery," according to a working definition adopted by The American Distilling Institute (TADI), the nation's leading proponent for small-batch distilling. But under current New Jersey law, Yoakum's miniscule volume is not a factor in the type of license he will likely obtain by the end of the year. Because he plans to produce spirits from scratch, he's waiting on a Plenary Distillery License that carries a $12,500 annual fee and will be one of just two active in the state.”

ECONOMY Broke Cities Beg Gov Dime and Dime Again (NYP) Fred Dicker reports: “Several of New York’s biggest cities — including Yonkers, Rochester and Syracuse — are “close to bankruptcy’’ and are looking for a bailout from Gov. Cuomo’s administration, The Post has learned. Mayors of the three cities, all of which face runaway labor, pension and education costs and shrinking property-tax bases, have held secret talks in recent weeks on their financial options, and the possibility of “bankruptcy’’ has been discussed, a source close to the mayors said. Meanwhile, aides to Cuomo are working on a new plan to link any future aid to the ailing cities to “workout plans’’ that reduce local costs, the source said.”

POLICY Is a Paid-Sick-Leave Deal in Works? (Crain’s) Andrew Hawkins and Chris Bragg report: “Officially, the City Council's paid-sick-leave bill is dead. Business groups oppose it, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is against it, and council Speaker Christine Quinn won't let the council vote on it. But behind the scenes, council members and labor leaders are working feverishly to water down the legislation to make it palatable for Ms. Quinn, a contender for mayor next year. And some business owners sense that any measure that passes now would be preferable to one approved in 2014, when the council will have a new speaker and Mr. Bloomberg will be out of office. Supporters and opponents alike now predict that a bill will pass this year.”

BUSINESSBarclays Center to Use Wands Instead of Metal Detectors (NYP) Rich Calder reports: “The Barclays Center yesterday announced it's dropping its policy of using airport-style metal detectors at all events ‘for the foreseeable future’ — shortly after The Post reported that the new Brooklyn arena used them for Jay-Z concerts while the less intrusive metal wands were utilized for a Barbra Streisand show. While some fans and city officials blasted the difference as a ‘double standard,’ arena officials denied the different policy was racially motivated.”

POLICY NY Government Spending at $6,859 Per Person (AP) AP reports: “A new report from the state comptroller's office shows spending of $6,859 per New Yorker in its most recent fiscal year. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says New York government has made progress toward aligning spending and revenue. Total spending in the fiscal year that ended March 31 was down 1 percent, or $1.3 billion, from the previous year.”

FINANCE The Best Bank That Nobody's Heard Of (Crain’s) Aaron Elstein reports: “Headquartered on Main Street in Flushing, Queens, Amerasia is a throwback to a simpler era. The two-branch bank serves owners of restaurants, Laundromats and other neighborhood enterprises who invariably honor their obligations... Amerasia is more than good. According to research firm SNL Financial, it ranks as the top-performing community bank in the nation.”SPACEMoon Rocks, Chunks of Mars Auctioned in New York (Reuters) Jonathan Allen reports: “Meteorites from Mars and the biggest piece of the Moon ever offered for sale went on the block on Sunday in New York in what organizers billed as history's largest meteorite auction, which brought in over $1 million. More than 125 meteorites were offered in the private sale, from gray pockmarked lumps of iron to highly polished slabs glittering with extraterrestrial gems. But many of the big-ticket items, estimated to sell for $50,000 or more, did not find buyers. The most expensive items on offer were four pounds (1.8 kg) of Moon rock that were once embedded on the dark side of the Moon before an asteroid sent them hurling into space. They sold for $330,000 after the auction's end.”

Feeds

WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 are New York's flagship public radio
stations, broadcasting the finest programs from NPR, PRI and American Public Media, as well as a wide range of award-winning local
programming. WNYC is a division of
New York Public Radio.